Regret
by YouRang
Summary: Fox is married to Eric's older brother, Ethan and on the surface, it looks like the perfect relationship, but underneath it all, darkness lies. Fox is sleeping with Eric behind his back, and Ethan is not the perfect man everyone thinks he is; will they survive his rage when he finds out? Rated M for violence, threats, sexual abuse and smut. TRIGGER WARNINGS. I only own Fox.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This one is a little dark...**

She sighed, a high breathy sound and tipped her head back. His lips trailed along her throat, his teeth biting roughly and a shiver shot through her body. He rose above her, muscles straining as he drove into her again and again, and there was an edge of desperation to his movements. They never had enough time together, never could sate their need for each other, always had to part before they satisfied their urges.

He groaned helplessly against her skin, her name a benediction on his lips. She felt the tingles in her body coalesce and explode outwards, dragging her into an intense, screaming climax. She curled into the cage of his body, felt his thrusts become erratic as he too surrendered. A ragged, visceral groan tore from his chest as he shuddered, pulsing deep inside her, and, overwhelmed by the power of his release, he collapsed onto her. Aftershocks ran through their bodies and for long moments they could only lay tangled together, trying to catch their breath. It was always like this, a desperate passion that compelled them to exhaust themselves in each other's embrace.

Finally, with a contented rumble, he rolled away, pulling her against his chest and nuzzling his face into her hair. His body was already hardening, wanting to take her again and he rubbed himself agonizingly slow against her. A hungry growl sounded in his chest.

"Fuck baby, I can never get enough of you," he breathed, hips beginning to pump slowly against her. His hand trailed down to her waist, pulling her lower body closer and he groaned as he pushed inside her again with one smooth motion. He moved slowly, languidly, not because he was in anyway sated but because his lazy thrusts made her moan in the most delicious way.

"Fuck," he mumbled, rapidly losing himself in bliss, the feel of her sheathed around him threatening to steal his sanity, reduce him to a panting shell, his entire being given over to the woman who so strongly held his heart, body, mind and soul.

The shrill sound of a cell phone pierced the air. It's shriek tore through the haze of pleasure currently surrounding the lovers and she bit back a sudden gasp, recognizing the distinctive ring. He froze, still inside her, a cold wave of dread scraping down his spine. _Fuck, they could never be left alone._ With a strangled groan, he withdrew from between her legs and rolled away. She sat up quickly, swung her legs over the edge of the bed and reached for the phone, it lessened the guilt somewhat, when she answered right away.

"Hello?"

"Hey honey, where are you?" She felt him rise onto his knees behind her, his hand caressing her from her elbow up to the soft patch behind her ear, and as his lips brushed her skin she stood suddenly, walking away. It was too hard to concentrate when he touched her that way.

"I'm still at work." Her heart fluttered when she felt him move behind her, wrap his arms around her and pull her back against his chest. She bit back a moan as his hand traced along her breast, his breath warm on her shoulder and she was suddenly afraid that the sound of her racing heart would carry through the phone into her husband's ear. Again she shrugged out of his embrace, his hands having dropped to her hips to pull her ass back against him and moved to the other side of the room. She shot him a warning glance over her shoulder and turned her full attention back to the phone. "Where are you?"

"Just on my way back, will you be home for supper?"

She closed her eyes as a wave of guilt threatened to put her on her knees. "I'm just leaving now, I'll see you soon."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

"Bye." She ended the call and turned back to him.

"What the hell, Eric?" She growled, half-amused and half-angry.

He sauntered towards her, and her eyes couldn't stop from roaming appreciatively over his body, the way he padded like a massive cat, his muscles bunching and flexing, his cock still hard and ready. He reached for her and she let him, sighing when he pulled her against his chest again. He stroked her hair back from her face and pressed a kiss to her temple before murmuring quietly.

"When are you going to be mine, Fox? I'm tired of sharing you."

Fox groaned and pulled away. Snatching up her shirt she pulled it on then turned in a circle, searching for her jeans.

Eric held them up with a smirk and she yanked them out of his hands.

"Where's my underwear?"

His smirk widened, "you're not getting those back babe, I need something to carry me through."

"I don't have anything of yours."

He closed the distance between them in two large strides. His breath was hot on her neck. "If you divorced that asshole you could have me anytime you wanted."

Fox pushed away irritably, her endorphin high from hours of amazing sex was rapidly dissipating. "If it was that simple I would have months ago, Eric. He's the father of my son and it's not that simple."

"Why the fuck not?!" Eric snapped. "Just say it, _'Ethan, I want a divorce._ '"

"And have him find out about us? _'Oh and by the way honey, I've been fucking your brother_?'"

"He'll know eventually."

Fox shook her head, she couldn't deal with this right now. "I have to go, I have to get home and have a shower. I smell like you."

"Good," Eric retorted, "let him figure it out, I'm tired of hiding us."

"There is no 'us' Eric, we're just fucking."

Eric froze and Fox felt a pang at the hurt that flashed in his eyes. It was so much easier to deal with this when she told herself that, _we're just fucking, it's not serious._

She swallowed. "I have to go."

"So go." His voice sounded dead.

Fox closed her eyes and turned away.

Fox emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a muscle shirt and boyshorts, her hair was damp and she finger-combed it. She stopped short when a tall figure stepped into the bedroom.

"Ethan."

'Hey doll, miss me?" He moved towards her, grinning.

Fox fixed a smile on her face. Ethan did not resemble Eric very much, he was shorter, his body naturally leaner than his younger brother's. He was an obvious Erudite transfer, in fact, Fox often wondered why he'd bothered transferring at all. If it wasn't for contacts, he'd even wear the stereotypical black-framed glasses. He was scary smart, skilled with computers, and was constantly being shuttled back and forth between factions to help set up new computer programs and solve technical problems. Eric and Fox wouldn't have the time they did have together if not for his nomadic career.

"Where's the little guy?"

"He was tired, I laid him down for another nap."

Ethan nodded absently. He moved closer and Fox fought the impulse to step back. His touch felt cold and abrupt compared to his brother's. He looked into her eyes a moment before leaning forward to kiss her. His eyes stayed open, something that never failed to bother Fox and pressed his lips to hers. His kiss felt foreign, unwelcome but Fox forced herself to respond. His hands began to roam and Fox fought a shiver of revulsion. It hadn't always been like this, but as her affair with Eric had continued, her body had began to strongly prefer one brother over the other. Fox was tender, sore between her legs and knew she wouldn't be able to convincingly feign pleasure, not tonight; she and Eric had been wild, separated for too long.

"Ethan, not now. I'm not in the mood, honey, I've got to check on supper." Fox pushed him gently away and he gave a small petulant grunt. She started to leave the bedroom when he spoke again.

"You never are anymore, what's your problem?"

"Nothing, just tired. Remy's been a handful lately."

"Are you sure?"

Alarm bells began to ring in Fox's head, there was an edge to Ethan's voice. He stalked towards her and Fox forced herself to stand still. His eyes roamed over her and Fox held her breath.

"Where'd this come from?" His tone was conversational, but his eyes burned. His fingers brushed Fox's throat and her heart skipped. Had Eric left a mark when he'd bitten her?

Feigning ignorance, Fox turned to inspect her neck in the mirror, faint bruises coloured her skin, right over her pulse point, right where Eric had bitten her as his first orgasm had torn through him. _Shit._

"Remy was a little crazy, we were having a tickle fight and he bit me."

Ethan raised his eyebrows, then nodded. Fox exhaled and turned to leave. Suddenly, Ethan grabbed Fox's upper arms and slammed her into the bedroom wall.

"Bullshit honey." Ethan's tone was low and monotone.

Fox's heart began to thump with dread. She'd only learned after her wedding that the elder Coulter brother had a violent streak, that while Eric was more demonstrably moody, more upfront with his tempers, Ethan was a slow burner, holding in his rage until it exploded. Fox had been unfortunately raised under a father with the same fuse, and she'd dutifully overlooked Ethan's first few rages, taken them as a matter of course, as her lot in life. Only time in Dauntless and exposure to Eric had helped her to realize she didn't need to tolerate this. Regrettably however, by the time she'd come to this conclusion, she was already bound to Ethan by the child growing large in her belly.

Ethan had been good for a long time, but that had apparently come to an end.

His hand reached up and leisurely stroked her jaw line. "I don't think that Remy did that, and I'm right now, aren't I?"

Fox swallowed, opened her mouth to voice a denial again when Ethan's fuse finally flared. Her head bounced off the wall again.

"I think you're going around behind my back, aren't you, sweeting?"

"Ethan, I-"

Remy, blessedly, chose that moment to announce his return to wakefulness with a loud wail. Ethan torpidly turned his head in the direction of their son's room. Looking back at Fox he leaned in close, his hands tightening painfully.

"I hope I'm wrong, honey. I really do, because if I find out that you're fucking someone else, I will make sure you never see Remy again... understand?"

Fox's blood ran cold, he wouldn't... "Ethan, you wouldn't-" Her teeth clacked together as her head bounced a third time.

"Don't tempt me, sweeting. I have friends in Candor, friends who mediate the divorce courts, and you'd be the guilty adulterer." He glared silently at her a long moment before speaking again in a low tone, and the words he spoke sent a spike of terror through Fox's heart. "Ah, you're assuming I'd just keep you from seeing Remy. Oh, no darling... If I find out you've been cheating on me, I'll kill the boy."


	2. Chapter 2

Fox's blood ran cold. _Oh hell no._ She'd put herself in this situation with Ethan, but keep her son out of this. Wordlessly, she launched herself at Ethan, maternal rage and protection racing white hot through her. But Ethan was cunning as well as smart and was anticipating her violent reaction, had deliberately stoked it. His hand closed around her throat as they crashed to the floor and he twisted their bodies, pinning Fox beneath him. Ethan, two years Eric's senior and four years Fox's, had excelled in his initiation year by being unparalleled at submission holds and anticipating his prey's moves. He hadn't goaded Fox without this exact plan in mind. In their nearly four years together there were still parts of his reptilian mind Fox had not seen, had no idea even existed.

Fox froze when she felt the blade of the knife bite ever so gently into her throat. Her eyes locked on Ethan's, her chest heaved with a chaos of swirling emotions: shock, rage, dawning horror and genuine fear, the man gazing coolly down at her was one she'd never seen before.

"Are you listening now?" He continued with a conversational tone, even more out of place now, with their current positions. His free hand squeezed Fox's breast and she slapped at it. The knife bit deeper and Fox froze, realizing with fresh horror what was about to happen. She'd given her body freely to this man's younger brother, now he was going to take it back by force.

"Don't move sweeting, don't force me to demonstrate my knife skills. Now," he yanked hard at her shirt, tearing it apart, "this is mine, no one else's. And you will give it to me whenever I want it."

"Ethan, no-"

"You were asking for it honey, now be a good little girl and lay still for me." He flexed his grip on the blade just enough to make it move ever so slightly against Fox's throat, and she felt a trickle of blood.

Fox's mind raced as she scanned her limited options. The knife pressed to her throat and the fresh trickle of blood she felt on her skin had chased away any doubts she had about Ethan's seriousness. He was willing to kill his own son to punish her, he was definitely going to take what he wanted from her right now. The knife in his hand was razor sharp and despite his nerdy appearance, he'd always maintained his Dauntless training. Fox had underestimated him today, and she was trapped, literally. His reflexes were sharp, and Fox knew with certainty that he would be able to slash her throat before she was able to twist out from underneath him. He had won this battle, Fox had to look ahead to the upcoming war.

Ethan's lustful grunt grated on Fox's ears, it was nothing like the sexy, mind-blowing sounds his younger brother made. His hand tore her boyshorts away, and she lay naked and exposed beneath him, Fox fought a shiver of revulsion as his hand trailed away from her breast to pull at his belt. She set her jaw, blinking away tears, closing her ears to her son's wails and her eyes to the sight of her husband rising above her, his jeans pushed down his hips. A tear trickled down her cheek as he shoved inside her.

* * *

Fox sat up straight, stretching her back. In the week since Ethan's attack, Fox had done her utmost to avoid Eric, he had been in meetings all week, but that wouldn't last. Her mind raced endlessly, turning over rock after rock searching for a solution, but few options were feasible, let alone palatable. She knew she had to avoid seeing Eric as long as possible, at least until her neck healed, if not longer. Eric had a sharp eye, even after her cut healed he would know something was wrong, Fox was chronically unable to keep her emotions off her face around him, he could read her like a book. And Fox knew that if Eric figured out what happened, he would kill Ethan, would lose control, hunt his own brother down and violently snuff out his life.

Fox carefully touched the bandage on her throat. As Ethan had raped her, as he'd forced himself inside her, he'd kept the knife at her throat, and, when he came his hand had slipped, biting deeper into Fox's throat. As he'd arched above her, groaning in orgasm, his hips snapping against hers, forcing his seed inside his unwilling lover, Fox had felt a brief moment of mortality. Fuck, she was going to die here, right now, raped by a pig and with her throat cut like an animal. But his hand had stilled and he'd collapsed on top of her, muscles trembling and she'd felt the blade pull away.

The doctor on duty at the infirmary had just spent the last hour breaking apart fight after fight between two drunken assholes in his care who were still arguing over a woman, who'd no doubt already gone home with someone else and had replaced the stitches that had torn out of each other three times already. He'd accepted Ethan's lie about Fox's wound with a tired nod, a black eye already darkening his face. Seven stitches, first blood.

"Okay Tanner," Fox returned to the present, addressing the man laying on the table in front of her, "we've been here before, you know how to care for this new tattoo, right?"

The black-haired man nodded and gifted her with a grin. His eyes flicked briefly to her bandage. "You cut yourself shaving?" His tone was light, but there was a deeper question attached.

Fox shook her head and grinned. "Nah, never take the dare to stand in front of the target, no matter how drunk you are."

It was a weak excuse and Fox knew it, but Tanner nodded nonetheless. This was Fox Coulter in front of him, the dominant female in her initiation year, there was no way she was being manhandled by anyone. Definitely not by her husband, Ethan was a nice guy, refined and smart; nothing like his younger brother Eric, known throughout Dauntless as not only it's youngest leader, but it's most ill-tempered.

Fox sagged on her stool after Tanner left. She'd seen that in his eyes, she knew how the compound viewed Ethan, he was the good brother, an Erudite genius who was humble enough to mingle with the savages, head and shoulders above his younger brother, who was cold and arrogant and volatile. Few, if anyone would believe the truth; that behind closed doors Ethan was capable of being a coldly cynical jerk, arrogant and selfish. He played a good game, and was always careful to project respectability and professionalism. Those few times his temper had betrayed him on the job, his normally spotless reputation had given him the benefit of the doubt, had gifted him with an invisibility cloak.

Eric was the 'bad' brother, the troubled one. Moody and cruel, he tormented his initiates and swaggered through Dauntless like King Shit. Only with Fox, only with Remy, only alone with them did the true Eric appear, the side he could no longer show freely; because his reputation was so tied to the idea of him, no one would believe he was genuine. The true Eric was kind and gentle, loyal to a fault. His circle of trust was so small that no one else but Fox and her son fit in it, and it hurt Fox endlessly to hear him dismissed throughout the compound as 'an asshole', or 'that dick, he should take lessons from his brother'. Why he had decided to project such a contrast was anyone's guess, and Eric himself had never had an answer for her when she'd asked, so she'd dropped it, accepted him because she knew the truth, the truth about both Coulter brothers.

* * *

It hadn't always been like this. Fox's thoughts wandered as she cleaned her tattooing equipment, her motions practiced and automatic. When Fox had transferred from Amity to the warrior faction she too had been deceived by appearances, had been charmed right away by the elder brother, wary immediately of the younger. Eric had been her trainer, and a hard-driving one at that. Fox was never hung over the chasm personally, but she had witnessed two in her class cling desperately to the walkway, and another outright quitting, choosing a factionless life to death on the rocks. Ethan had started sniffing around right away, still in the first stage of initiation, and Fox had been naive, starved for love and a father figure, willing to overlook more than what was healthy because she hadn't known any better. There had always been a slight edge to Ethan, a hint of manipulation with Fox, but he loved her, right? She had never witnessed depravity to such a level as she had seen this last time, and she still reeled from the shock of realizing that he was capable of such acts, had successfully hidden it from her this long.

Fox had become pregnant not long after graduation, and had decided on a career of tattoo artist, transferring to a trainer during the initiation cycle. Her life with Ethan had never been completely smooth, either before or after the wedding, but everyone had told her how lucky she was to be with him, how he was such a catch, and such a stand-up gentleman to ask Fox to marry him so soon after meeting, since she now carried his child. That rumour had rode her for awhile, everyone saying she'd 'trapped' Ethan into marriage by becoming pregnant. She hadn't trapped him really, she had panicked at the thought of becoming a mother so soon, but Ethan had seemed to take it all in stride, smiling at her indulgently when she'd confessed to her new condition.

It was during her pregnancy that she'd started to see Eric more. She'd avoided him like the plague since initiation, interacting with him only when necessary, and only about upcoming initiation training matters, but Ethan was finding himself gone from Dauntless more and more often, and he'd asked his little brother to check in on her. At first it had been stilted and awkward between them, his visits short, their conversations shorter. Eric had made it perfectly clear right from the start that he was only doing this because Ethan had asked him, and for awhile they had endured near silent meetings, Fox nervously darting through Ethan's apartment, not yet used to a hostess role and Eric following stonily behind, asking her monotone questions and sounding like he was reading from a list from the 'unwilling baby-sitter' handbook.

Gradually however, they had started to thaw around each other. Fox got used to Eric's abrupt manner and long silences, and he in turn seem to relax around her, lighten up. Fox was surprised to discover that, not only did Eric possess an actual sense of humour, but, underneath his grumpy exterior he was startlingly considerate towards her, bringing her foods he'd learned were her favourites, books he'd found out she'd like to read. He paid attention to her, and not in the negative or domineering way she was so used to. Ethan's attentions had started to skew towards overbearing and paternal, often treating Fox like a disobedient and stupid teenager.

Although he'd been a hard trainer, and then an awkward pseudo-babysitter, Eric had never been condescending or autocratic towards her, and it was balm to her soul, to be treated like an equal.

As they grew more comfortable around each other, a normal progression considering that Eric was now spending more time with Fox than Ethan was, the stringent barriers they'd erected at first encounter had began to crumble. Fox had little time to ensure she was well-groomed, little drive to maintain a flawless appearance anymore, she had better things to do, like care for her baby. As a result, even around Eric she found herself wearing less than clean clothes, wrinkled shirts, pajama pants, her hair caught up in a messy bun, no makeup beyond lip balm. Eric relaxed his personal appearance as well, it was a surprise the first time Fox looked up at Eric's entrance to the apartment to see him in jeans and a t-shirt, rather than the leader's uniform she'd always seen before.

On more than one occasion Fox found herself watching Eric hold Remy, cradling him gently in his arms to put him to sleep, or soothe his cries and was struck with the thought that Eric was more of a father to Remy than Ethan was. When he was home, Ethan paid little attention to the baby, saying he would interact with Remy when the infant could interact back. Eric was always gentle with the newborn, always listening for sounds that he needed to be held or changed or fed. When he passed Remy to Fox, she would do her best to ignore the tingles she'd begun to feel when their hands brushed each other. More than once she saw Eric jolt ever so slightly at their contact, but didn't say anything.

Fox even grew at ease nursing Remy in Eric's presence, fuck, he was around so much helping that the little guy would starve if she didn't eighty-six her modesty eventually. More and more she'd glance up from Remy, content at her breast, to see Eric gazing at them, his eyes soft, almost longing. At first they would both flush and look away, but soon would only exchange companionable smiles and go back to their tasks.

Fox felt faint stirrings of guilt as her feelings towards Eric grew stronger, so she did her best to ignore them, telling herself it was only natural to begin to feel a fondness for someone who was unfailingly at your side during a hard time, that what she felt towards her former trainer was gratitude, nothing more. Surely Eric didn't feel the same, he was quite attached to his nephew sure, but he had his pick of women at Dauntless, why would he want her, a drab Amity transfer with a self-esteem problem? He had promised his brother to care for his family while he was gone, nothing more.

Eric too fought his burgeoning feelings for Fox. At first she was only an initiate, then an obligation, tied to him through family, carrying his brother's child, but then he woke up one morning and his first thought was of her, specifically the gentle smile she'd given him the night before as he'd held Remy, found himself tenderly stroking his nephew's cheek. Soon, his heart would ache when he wasn't near her, he would find his thoughts drifting in the office, wondering what she was doing, how she was faring alone for the day because Ethan was off in Erudite or Candor, banging away at a keyboard. He looked forward to changing clothes at home and heading over to her apartment, the latent tension he always carried disappearing when he crossed the threshold. More than once now, he'd indulged in a tender caress of Fox's cheek as he'd pulled a blanket over her wherever she'd fallen asleep, on her bed or the couch, usually with little Remy cradled to her. Eric would find himself just standing there, gazing down at the mother and son and thinking to himself that Ethan didn't deserve them. _And you do?_ a voice in his head would growl back. _Yes._

* * *

 _It was only a matter of time._

Remy was a month old, and Ethan was gone again. He was heading a major computer systems upgrade for Erudite and had been home one night in the last nine. Eric had been all but living at the apartment, to the casual observer who didn't know any different, he would be mistaken as the father of little Remington Maxwell Coulter.

Remy was fussy and Fox was overwhelmed. She'd healed physically from the trauma of birth, having ingested a vial of healing serum at Ethan's request, but was still tired, hormonal and awkward. Her body had not yet returned to it's pre-pregnancy shape and she still felt ugly and disgusting, a sagging milk machine that constantly stank of panic and baby spit-up. Ethan's latent disapproval of her when he was home, of her seeming inability to bounce back quickly wore at Fox, her sense of worth too strongly tied to her physical appearance and Ethan's opinions. Ethan had always found stealthy ways of voicing his preference for a thin, fit woman and Fox now found she was similarly hard on herself.

Finally, she'd nursed and soothed Remy enough that he'd fallen asleep and she'd stumbled out to the living room, collapsed onto the couch. Eric had been cleaning up in the kitchen, and, seeing her slumped over, brought her a glass of water, sitting easily at her side. Fox lifted her head when Eric nudged her arm and smiled wearily in thanks.

"Can I bring you anything else?" He'd murmured.

Fox shook her head before mumbling, "a nanny? My husband? The drive to get off my ass and do something?" She scrubbed her hands over her face, exhausted. Eric grabbed her wrists and turned her to him. His actions surprised Fox, he'd never been this direct before.

"Don't think like that. You are doing just fine Fox. You have a newborn, it's going to be tough for awhile."

Ethan's words tumbled from Fox's lips. "I'm not trying hard enough, I'm being lazy and self-indulgent."

Eric blinked in surprise, his grip on her wrists tightening. "Who told you that, Ethan? Fuck. Fox you are not being lazy and what? self-indulgent, you are busting your ass to take care of a baby while my asshole of a brother runs around the city! Fuck him, he's never home for you!"

Fox was already shaking her head. looking down at her feet, "no, Eric he's right. I'm not getting back in shape fast enough-"

"What?!" Eric sounded aghast. He let go of Fox's wrists and grabbed her shoulders. "Fox, look at me."

Fox shook her head, she had started to cry, tears of misery dripping into her lap. Eric let go of her shoulders and cupped her face, his touch startlingly gentle, and raised her head to meet his gaze.

"Fox? Look at me... please?" His thumb stroked across her bottom lip.

Sniffling, Fox raised her eyes, focusing unwillingly on his gaze, blinking rapidly.

"You are not lazy. You don't need to be busting your ass at the gym, you're beautiful... I've always thought so."

Fox scoffed and tried to pull away, "you're supposed to say that Eric, I'm the crazy new mother and your sister-in-law, it's expected-"

Eric's lips crushed to hers, startling Fox silent. A flash of heat and what could only be described as _relief_ shot through her and she frantically deepened the kiss, reaching up to claw at the back of Eric's head, pulling him closer. Eric's arms wrapped around Fox, pulling her into his lap as they continued to devour each other's mouths. Finally Eric pulled back, resting his forehead to Fox's.

Panting, he gasped, "Fox, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" his words were lost as Fox cupped his face, pulling him back to her, their lips connected again and Eric's fragile hold snapped.

Turning, he pushed Fox back down onto the couch and crawled over her. Their bodies snaked together, both making desperate sounds of need as they ravished each other. Fox pushed Eric's shirt up, hands grazing over his muscular abdomen and he grabbed it with one hand, yanking it roughly off, tossed it carelessly away. Neither could stop, they were feeding off each other's desire and pent-up attraction, the floodgates finally opened. Eric curled his hands under Fox's shirt, skimming along her fevered skin, pulling it over her head. Her bra quickly followed and his lips closed around Fox's nipple, she arched underneath him with a mewl, her hand starting to stroke roughly at the bulge in his jeans. Groaning, Eric attacked her mouth again, clawing at Fox's shorts while she pulled at his zipper. Frantic now, Eric ripped Fox's shorts away, and yanked at his jeans, pushing them far enough down his hips to free himself. Spitting on his hand he rubbed his cock then pushed urgently inside her; Fox moaned sharply underneath him, he was larger than Ethan. She wrapped her legs around his hips, desperate to feel him deeper.

"Oh fuck," Eric groaned into her neck, thrusting violently, completely lost in bliss.

Fox clawed at Eric's back, crying out his name. A wave of unbelievable desire had crashed over her, Eric felt so fucking good inside of her, his helpless groans in her ear igniting her blood all the more. There was only them, only this moment and Fox let herself explode. Screaming his name Fox writhed in ecstasy, and Eric roared in release, throwing his head back, slamming his hips to hers, his cock pulsing deep inside. Gasping for breath, they collapsed together, too spent to move just yet.

Fox panted, curling into Eric's heaving chest. Sex with Ethan had never affected her like this, never made her body sing and heart race. This brief, desperate encounter with Eric was far and away the most passionate and visceral she'd ever felt. Fox tried to feel anger, tried to feel used or wronged, but she couldn't. All she could muster was the strangest feeling of _rightness_ , that she was finally... _home._

Eric groaned above her, his hand stroking her hair and she felt the exact moment he came back to his senses enough to realize where he was and what had just happened. His muscles went tense and his breath caught in his chest.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Fox heard him breathe and he scrambled off of her, the sudden lack of his body heat making Fox shiver. She sat up quickly, abruptly aware of her nakedness and looked for her clothes. Unable to reach them she pulled a cushion against her body instead. Eric glanced at her as he scrambled for his shirt, and the flash of emotions in his eyes took Fox's breath away; if he hadn't been feeling so goddamn shocked right now, he'd be reaching for her again. He was still cursing as he pulled his shirt over his head and Fox was suddenly terrified that he was going to run out the door and never come back. She scrambled to her feet and moved to stand in front of him, gripped his biceps, sobbing his name, hating the way her voice broke but more scared of losing him.

"Eric, please!" She begged, tears streaming. She pressed her face to his chest, letting the cushion drop and cried, felt her tears soak his shirt, felt the way his chest heaved underneath her. Eric exhaled raggedly, and his arms reached slowly up, wrapping around Fox and pulling her closer. His hand gently stroked her hair and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, let his lips linger.

"Fox-" he tried but couldn't finish.

Fox lifted her head and pain flashed in Eric's eyes as he saw the misery in hers. His hand came up and stroked her cheek.

"Don't leave me," she begged.

Eric swallowed hard, then shook his head. Hating himself, hating more the way his movement made Fox cry harder, he pulled out of her arms and strode to the door.

* * *

Fox shook her head, blinking away the sudden tears. She hadn't wanted or meant to take a trip down memory lane, but her mind had had it's own ideas. Hurriedly, before anyone saw, she wiped her cheeks and sat up straight, cleared her throat and glanced quickly around. Fortunately no one had noticed her yet. Her body hummed with memories of her first time with Eric, the pure joy she'd felt, the relief. Even crazed with lust his touch had been inherently gentle and tender, even out of control he was incapable of hurting her, Ethan had been in complete control of himself when he'd wounded her this time. The thought of Eric warmed Fox, he was so different than Ethan once you went deep; Ethan's mask was charming and flawless, but if you lifted it, the beast underneath was frightening.

A spine-chilling thought began to coalesce in Fox's mind. Did Eric behave the way he did, had built such a wall around himself out of necessity? Had Ethan toyed with him as a child? Was this arrogant, angry exterior a front to keep others from hurting him the way Ethan had? Or was it to keep others away so that Ethan wouldn't have access to them, wouldn't be able to hurt people Eric let get close to him? If so, why had he opened himself to Fox? Was a part of him just as disturbed as his brother, or, like Fox, had the pull been too strong and he'd been unable to fight his attraction? Fox had never questioned Eric too deeply about his childhood or relationship with Ethan, the few times she'd tried Eric had been reluctant, even angered and she'd soon dropped it. There were parts of her childhood she hoped never to dredge up again too. Sometimes the past was like a rotting body, it was safer to be left alone, you never knew what could come crawling out if you poked too hard. Fox understood this all too well.

She cursed her cowardice, for nearly three years she had buried her head in the sand, taking the easy route; sleeping with Eric behind Ethan's back, hiding. She could hardly fault Eric, he'd broached the subject of revealing themselves before, numerous times, but Fox had always panicked, flat-out refused, and if Eric had persisted, she'd thrown herself into distracting him, swallowing around his cock until he'd groaned in release, pulled him deeper inside her body until he'd shuddered against her.

Fox wasn't sure if Eric fully knew the levels of evil his brother was capable of, or if, like Fox, he'd taken the safer route, repeatedly denying his own instincts, not confident enough in himself to believe what his gut was telling him.

 _What a fucked-up situation._

But Fox was not the same scared little mouse she'd been before; leaving her faction and joining Dauntless had taken an extraordinary amount of courage, and she'd become a strong, confident woman, in every area of her life except her romantic relationships. Tainted and poisoned by her childhood, she'd let herself be drawn into another abusive situation, but she had grown up, she was a mother now; there was more than just her riding on this. She had to believe that Eric would stay by her side, would do his utmost to protect her and Remy; but, even if he didn't she and her son needed out.

Fox had no more scheduled clients for the day, so after a quick word with Bud, she turned off her machines and left. Remy was still at daycare, Ethan was in Candor and Fox needed a few minutes alone. She needed to grab a few groceries but she decided against it and went directly home. She sighed as she pressed the code, although she didn't want Eric to see her right now, her body hungered for him. It surprised her, the way she felt; Ethan's assault on her had left her feeling dirty and tainted, but Eric's touch always woke something up in her, soothed her pain and made her soul lighter.

She felt alive in his arms, felt wanted and needed and loved. If Fox asked him too, he would be tender and slow, holding back his own desire to soothe her, he'd done it before, just as Fox had clawed wildly back at him when he needed a rough and intense release, stressed out by meetings or initiation. Fox inhaled sharply, squeezed her thighs together as a wave of desire rolled through her. Fuck, even thinking about Eric right now was too much.

Suddenly, Fox felt her nerves begin to tingle and her body came alive. She only reacted this way around one person and her heart began to race for two entirely different reasons.

Warm, strong hands touched her hips, and soft lips caressed the back of her neck. Fox couldn't stop a shiver of delight, and her spine unconsciously arched, brushing her ass against a rapidly hardening bulge. Fox felt more than heard the deep answering groan from the hard chest behind her and the fingers on her hips tightened.

"I've missed you," Eric's deep voice purred, his lips grazing against the shell of her ear. His hips pumped once against hers and he exhaled raggedly. "Open the door baby, or I'll take you right here, I can't wait any longer."

Fox closed her eyes. It was too soon, Eric would see the bandage on her neck, would put two and two together and she needed a plan first, a strategy to divorce Ethan, get him out of her and Remy's life; but her body was responding, her blood igniting regardless of her mind's protest. She inhaled shakily, opened her mouth to protest but Eric fingers gently gripped her chin and turned her head to the side. Their lips met and all thoughts of speaking faded away. Fox's body flared with yearning and want, all memory of Ethan's lecherous, unwanted touch fading away. Her unsteady hand turned the doorknob and Eric pushed her from behind, their bodies still touching as they stepped through over the threshold. Slamming the door, Eric turned, pulling Fox with him and pressed her face to the wall. His kiss grew demanding and Fox moaned as his tongue plunged into her mouth, slicking along hers.

"Fuck," Eric groaned, his hands sliding underneath Fox's shirt, grazing along her ribs to cup her breasts. His hips pressed insistently against hers, pushing her against the wall and Fox arched back, overwhelmed in desire. Eric's hands left her breasts and with a few quick jerks, he yanked her jeans halfway down her thighs. His hand trailed heat along the curve of her hip and Fox jolted, whimpering. She heard the jingle of Eric's belt buckle then felt the hard ridge of his cock. Eric hissed into Fox's hair as he pushed inside her with one thrust, capturing her mouth again in a heated kiss as his hips started to snap against her. Fox moaned, arching her spine to deepen his angle and Eric groaned, a shudder running through his body. His hands gripped Fox's hips, pulling her back to meet each of his thrusts, and he pulled away from her mouth to groan helplessly in her hair, punctuating each thrust with a grunt of effort. A whine started to build in Fox's throat as her body tightened and tension coiled in her stomach; Eric was hitting deep inside her and it was rapidly overpowering her senses, dragging her into a violent climax. Fox let go with a wail, crying out Eric's name and he exploded with her, groaning with release, burying his face in her hair as he thrust erratically, pulsing inside her. Panting, he sagged forwards, pinning Fox to the wall and she revelled in the contact, her body alive with sensations. Eric groaned again as a residual tremor ran through him and he pressed his lips to Fox's temple, lingering there as his chest heaved, eyes closed.

"Baby," he breathed, tightening his arms, curling around her, caging her body with his.

"Eric," Fox murmured back, tipping her head to rest on his shoulder.

His lips grazed her hair. "I love you baby, so fucking much." He was still hard inside her, still not satisfied and he began to thrust softly again, inhaling sharply, teeth closing on her pulse point. Fox whimpered as her nerves flashed heat again, desire flooding her a second time, she really never could get enough, not of him. Eric's thrusts rapidly grew harder, stroking deeper and deeper inside her. His grunts and groans were music to her ears, fuelling her fire, making it burn hotter and hotter, threatening to consume her. They danced together in that primal rhythm, pushing each other higher and higher until they shattered together, Eric's roar of release mingling with Fox's cry of ecstasy and only Eric bracing them against the wall kept them from collapsing to the floor. Gasping for breath, Fox sagged in Eric's arms, her head spinning. A week apart had been too long, they were desperate for each other, frantic and frenzied in their love and hunger.

Finally, Eric pulled Fox into his arms, lifting her easily and carried her to the bedroom, laying her back against the pillows. He stretched out next to her, curled his massive body against her, sighing. Fox was just about to give in, relax into his embrace when she felt Eric's muscles coil rock-hard against her.

"What the fuck is that?" He growled, eyes locked on her neck.


	3. Chapter 3

His hand shot up and Fox couldn't stop an involuntary flinch, but Eric's touch was gentle; belying the dawning rage in his eyes. He turned her head to the side and tilted it back then fixed his intense gaze on her, one eyebrow lifted in question.

"Ethan-" Eric let go of Fox's chin and turned to launch himself out of bed but Fox managed to snag his arm. He shrugged free and continued but it slowed him enough that Fox was able to scramble after him and grab his arm again before he made it to the door.

"Eric, please!" Fox pleaded, pulling backwards.

Eric stopped, his chest heaving, his back to Fox. Again he pulled his arm roughly away from her and Fox stood behind him uncertainly, waiting. His jeans were still unzipped, hanging low on his hips and he was shirtless. Fox watched the muscles in his back flex as he breathed heavily, saw his shoulders tighten. Suddenly, his legs gave out and he sank to his knees. Falling back onto his heels, his dropped his head into his hands, his elbows balanced on his thighs. He shuddered and Fox was stunned to see that he was fighting not to cry. Fox was horrified, although she and Eric had bared their souls to each other, taken their _skins_ off for each other, she had never seen him cry, not like this.

Uncertainly, Fox went to her knees beside him. She reached out to touch his shoulder but hesitated. "Eric?" She whispered.

Eric drew in a deep, shaky breath and exhaled raggedly. "Fuck! ... Fuck baby... I didn't... I didn't think he'd hurt you."

Ice trickled down Fox's spine. "I don't understand... has he hurt someone... before?"

Eric let go, started to cry in earnest and Fox felt the beginnings of fear. What was so bad that it had reduced _Eric_ to tears?

Tentatively Fox touched Eric's shoulder, his skin was hot, stretched tight and a tremor ran through him as she began to stroke across his shoulders. "Eric, tell me... please."

Eric didn't answer and Fox couldn't stand to see him on the floor like this. Slowly, she stood and pulled at his arm. "Eric, come to bed, talk to me."

Eric didn't seem to have heard her at first, but then he stood, and walked slowly back to the bed. He stretched out and Fox lay beside him, curling him against her, resting his head on her breast. The faint trembling she felt radiating from him was putting her more and more on edge, but gradually the tremors stopped and, thinking he'd fallen asleep, Fox gazed down at him. Eric was awake, but he wasn't currently there with her, his gaze was haunted, a thousand-yard stare, his cheeks wet with tears. Her heart ached as she tried to think of what had ever happened to Eric that would still affect him so badly; make him cry like this even now. Fox blinked back fresh tears of her own and, pressing a kiss to Eric's forehead, stroked up and down his spine as she waited for him to come back, to be ready to talk again.

* * *

Fox had almost fallen asleep herself when she felt Eric begin to stir beside her. He inhaled sharply and Fox began to stroke his forehead, trailing her finger along the ridge of his brow. Eric tightened his arms around her, his voice was quiet and tortured when he asked.

"What did he do?"

Fox swallowed. "You need to promise me something first."

"Anything baby." Eric's hand had drifted down to Fox's abdomen and his touch was feather-light as he stroked gentle circles, Fox knew it was more for his comfort than hers.

"Promise me you will not go after Ethan right away. Promise me you will stay at Dauntless until we figure out a plan... I want you and Remy and I to be together, but we have to get rid of Ethan first, and we need to be smart about it."

Eric sighed and his hand stilled on her abdomen, only his thumb moved now. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her skin. "Yes, I promise... now how did he hurt you?"

Fox bit her lip. She'd extracted a promise from Eric, and he'd never gone back on one yet, but this was different. "He, uh... he threatened me and Remy, that day I left. When I told you we were just fucking?"

Eric tensed in her arms and Fox curled closer around him, pressed desperate kisses to his forehead and cheeks before moving to his mouth. Eric's kiss back held the same desperation. Fox pulled away , rested her forehead to his. "I didn't mean any of that... I love you Eric, I'm so sorry I said that to you... it's not true, you are the only one for me."

Eric exhaled unsteadily and he only managed a nod, his eyes closed. The tension in his arms told Fox he had forgiven her, and was already focussing ahead on what she was about to tell him.

"Ethan... said he suspected I was cheating on him and if he found out he was right... he would kill Remy."

Eric's eyes flew open and the instant rage in them sent a chill through Fox. His muscles went rock hard.

"Please, Eric, you promised."

Eric growled low in his chest. "That was before I knew he'd threatened my son."

"Your son?"

"I'm with him more than Ethan. I love him more than Ethan... I'd die for Remy... he _is_ my son."

Warmth curled in Fox's belly. She wished it was true, that Remy was Eric's too. "There's more."

Eric's muscles went tight and Fox reluctantly continued.

"When he said that, I attacked him; but he was waiting for that... he pinned me down and put a knife to my throat."

A low growl rumbled in Eric's chest.

"He told me that I was his and I would give myself to him whenever he wanted."

Eric lifted his head from her chest, his eyes widening with dawning horror. The look in them begged Fox not to say it.

"He forced himself on me, and held the knife to my throat so I wouldn't fight him."

"He raped you?"

"Yes."

"And then he cut you?"

"He cut me when he was..."

Eric closed his eyes and looked away, able to fill in the blanks. He jolted suddenly in Fox's arms and rolled partially away. Fox heard him dry heaving, retching in his horror and disgust and she tentatively rubbed his back, waiting until he had control of himself again. He didn't vomit though and after a long moment, Eric rolled back, a muscle began to work in his jaw and he said lowly, almost nonchalantly, "I will kill him... I will tear his motherfucking head off."

Fox clasped his cheek to turn his head and attention back to her. Guilt was now bleeding into Eric's features, he was ghostly pale, a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"And then I show up and start humping your goddamn leg... baby, I didn't know, you should have told me-"

"Stop it." Fox's voice was quiet and implacable. "I wanted to. I wanted _you._ You are not a monster Eric, if I'd asked you to stop, you would have. I didn't want you to stop, I needed you, I needed to feel something good... I will never fear you, or your touch... you are the only man I fully trust."

Eric knew of Fox's childhood, the bad and the really bad and knew she both instinctively and through bitter experience had learned never to trust freely, but especially never trust men. Her quiet declaration meant more to him than she would ever know.

"So what are we going to do?" He finally asked.

"How about... we start with why you said that 'I never thought he'd hurt you'? Who has he hurt before?"

Eric dropped his head back to the pillow, took a deep breath. He had always avoided talking about this. "Me, anyone I liked, anyone I was friends with."

Fox waited silently, tracing her fingers along Eric's leadership bars and he relaxed under her touch.

"I don't know why, I don't remember him ever being nice to me. He'd always be sneaky and manipulative. And then turn around and be this perfect little boy and I'm the one screaming and throwing a fit. It got so no one ever believed me, that Ethan was this vicious, cruel monster... he'd catch squirrels in that green space by Erudite and torture them, he'd figure out your fears and turn them on you. Anytime I made a friend, after awhile they'd be too scared to be around me. I uh... I met a girl, when I was fifteen, from Candor. Ethan was a year away from his choosing ceremony and I thought we'd be okay."

Eric was quiet for so long Fox glanced down but then he spoke again, and the pain in his words cut Fox deeply.

"I didn't hear from her for a few days, and then... I found out she was dead... she'd cut her wrists in the bathtub. I could never prove it, but I _knew_ Ethan had something to do with it, if he didn't hold her down somehow and slash her wrists himself."

Ice flowed into Fox's veins. "And you never said anything, you let me date him, you let me marry him?!" Her hand stilled on his neck.

Eric lifted his head, eyes wide. "I thought he'd changed... he seemed better, I hoped Dauntless had done something, given him an outlet."

"You hoped Dauntless had changed him? What the fuck Eric?!" Fox had raised her voice to a shout.

"Would you have believed me?" Eric yelled back. "You hated me when you came to Dauntless! You would never have listened to me if I'd told you! Ethan Coulter, the perfect gentleman, is actually a violent sadist? Not a single FUCKING person has believed me my entire FUCKING life about what he's really like, so why would YOU?!"

Fox was struck dumb. He was right, she wouldn't have believed Eric at first, although she hadn't actually hated him, she still never would have listened to him, especially about Ethan. He had dealt his whole life with the predicament Fox now found herself in, _how to overcome the icon, the mirage that everyone saw? That everyone held as true. Eric was the_ _'_ _dark_ _'_ _brother, the violent moody leader; Ethan was the angelic genius, of course Ethan_ _'_ _s word would be taken as true over Eric_ _'_ _s, they needed him to fall on his own sword, needed to give him enough rope to hang himself._

Eric continued, breathing hard. "I loved you from the first minute I saw you, but you were an initiate, and I was _so_ used to keeping people away... I was an asshole during training because I was fighting with myself the whole time, fighting myself over you and the way I wanted you... Fuck baby, if you knew what I dreamed, what I imagined alone in my apartment, about you, about what I wanted to do with you? And not just sex... but marrying you... making babies with you... and then Ethan started sniffing around, and I knew I'd already lost... you never looked at me that way, Ethan was always so fucking charming, he _always_ won... I thought I'd gotten over you, but then he asked me to watch over you while he was gone, while you were pregnant... and all these emotions I thought I'd buried came back..." Eric paused, the tremoring in his muscles had begun again and his fingers curled into the blankets.

Fox hated to see him like this, torn up, conflicted, fighting some major demons... _what an abyss he carried within himself._ She stroked his hair back, pressed a kiss to the soft curls.

"He did love you I think, at first. As much as he can, and... then when we started... I told myself that I could keep you safe, I could save you from him, that I'd see him coming, I should have gotten you two out of there, away from him, I never thought he'd be capable of that... that's... that's an abomination, that's _evil, pure fucking evil._ " He exhaled hard. "Fox baby, please forgive me... I'm a fucking idiot, I let the woman I love get hurt, the way you should _never_ be hurt, I will _never_ forgive-"

Fox grabbed Eric's face, crushed her lips to his, the pain in his voice was slashing at her heart, she needed him to stop, to kiss her and drive her pain away.

Eric groaned against her mouth, shuddering as his arms wrapped around her. He needed the pain driven away too. Fox pulled a hairsbreadth away, gently touched his nose with the tip of hers.

"I forgive you." She whispered and Eric's answering moan clawed deeper into her heart. "Let me make love to you Eric, help you forget your pain."

Eric groaned, a deep visceral rumble of pain and pleasure and he rolled, pulling Fox beneath him. His kisses were soft and gentle, trailing heat along her jaw line and down her throat. His hips started nudging insistently at hers, and his hands grew demanding as they stroked along her body, making Fox quiver in anticipation. Removing the rest of their clothes, Fox pulled Eric back down to her, trailed her tongue along his leadership bars and reveled in the shiver it brought. She twisted, pulling Eric underneath her and ending up on top of him, straddling his hips.

Eric arched back into the mattress, eyes fluttering closed, lips parting on a blissful sigh as Fox sank down onto his shaft. His hands gripped her hips and he groaned her name. The groan sharpened into a hiss as Fox began to rock her hips and his fingers tightened.

Their eyes met and Fox felt a wave of heat at the emotion in Eric's gaze. His love for her was staggering, almost overwhelming in it's intensity and Fox felt the same flood of devotion and tenderness for him. They were destined to be together, they _needed_ to be together, needed each other to be whole. How had Fox ever missed that, when she'd first come to Dauntless ? She'd never felt truly alive until she and Eric had joined, had shuddered together on that couch, their bodies connected as one. She would never be the same, never truly be happy again if they were separated.

"Fox," Eric groaned, his hips thrusting up into her and Fox dropped her head back with a moan. Her body had begun to tremble, the sensations beginning to overpower her senses, and she felt Eric shuddering underneath her, still watching her, absorbing every ounce of her ecstasy. Fox succumbed to the wave, let it crash over her, draw a whimpering cry from her throat. Eric arched beneath her, shuddering, his fingers tightening on her hips hard enough to bruise, holding her down on his cock as he thrust upwards, spilling deep inside her.

Fox inhaled sharply as residual shocks ran through her, her eyes finding Eric's again, locking on his steel grey gaze, basking in the worship and adoration in them. She felt unbeatable in moments like this, cherished and protected by this savage man, this king of beasts that, instead of tearing her apart, had lain beside her and started purring. They could defeat Ethan, end this spiralling nightmare once and for all, but only if they stayed together. Eric sighed in utter relaxation, his hand rubbing Fox's thigh, his lips curled into a smile; a genuine smile, one only Fox got to see.

Fox curled forwards, laying against Eric's heaving chest and he pressed a breathless kiss to the top of her head before dropping his hand to her back, stroking up and down her spine.

"What are we going to do about Ethan?" Fox whispered.

Eric was silent for a long time, then murmured quietly, his voice implacable, "if we have to, we'll kill him."

Ice trickled down Fox's spine, part of her had been avoiding considering this, but... more than likely, Ethan wouldn't stop until he _was_ dead. If he'd been deranged his whole life, or at least, Eric's whole life, it was unlikely he'd turn over a new leaf anytime soon. This would mean Fox would be taking Remy's biological father away from him, but that's all he was to Remy anyway, the sperm donor. In ever other way, every way that really counted, Remy was Eric's, Eric was Remy's father, and removing Ethan from the equation would finally allow father and son to be together. The thought sparked an ember of hope in Fox, seeing Remy with his real, true father.

Fox wanted nothing more than to stay here, in bed with Eric, but she couldn't. She had to pick Remy up from daycare, feed him and bathe him and put him to bed. She realized with a shock that she had no idea if Ethan was staying in Candor tonight or not, and fear began to seep into her bones; where was he? To walk in on her and Eric right now would be disastrous, potentially their death sentence. Eric sensed the tension in her body and he lifted his head, raised an eyebrow at her. He understood immediately and frowned, glancing at the clock. Neither one of them had taken care this afternoon, had considered the danger of being together without double-checking that Ethan was occupied elsewhere first. _Shit._ They had always been careful, until now.

Fox's cell beeped and she startled, head snapping towards it. Reaching for it she tapped the screen then exhaled in relief.

"It's just daycare, I'm late."

"I'll go," Eric volunteered. "Go shower and-"

"Oh fuck!" Fox hissed, her body going rigid. She raised her head, a look of abject terror on her face. "Ethan texted me 'I'm on my way home, see you in a half-hour'!"

"When?"

Fox looked back down at the phone screen, her hand beginning to shake, "twenty minutes ago."


	4. Chapter 4

Eric hissed a curse through his teeth, fists clenched. Fox felt a sudden, unexplained wave of peace; the gig was up, it would be done, one way or another, tonight. Eric grabbed Fox's wrists, yanking downwards to get her attention.

"Listen, I'll go and get Remy and take him home. You didn't feel good so you came home and fell asleep, you woke up just a few minutes ago and realized you'd overslept, so you called me to pick up Remy and jumped in the shower, okay?"

Fox nodded, climbing off the bed, her body feeling immediately cold where she had been touching Eric. He stumbled upright behind her and grabbed her shoulders, their eyes locked.

"You'll be fine baby." His kiss was hard, but then he pulled back and his lips on her forehead were gentle. "Okay?" His hand cupped her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek and Fox nodded back. Eric gave her a quick, tight smile then turned and left, yanking on his clothes, the door slamming behind him.

* * *

Eric jolted awake with a strangled yell, twisting sharply. His massive body was too big for the narrow cot he lay on and he hit the cement floor with a bone-jarring thud. The impact caused him to bite into his bottom lip and he tasted blood, spat irritably into the corner, one quick glance around reminded him that this wasn't a nightmare. Climbing painfully to his feet, Eric stretched out his aching muscles and strode to the bars of his cell. His chest heaved with exertion and fear and he glanced up and down the corridor, searching for the guard. He'd paced and screamed for attention until he'd passed out from exhaustion sometime this morning. No one believed him, no one _FUCKING_ believed him!

 _A knock at his apartment door. Eric answers, brow furrowing in confusion. A team of Dauntless guards stand there, Zeke at their head, Max beside him. Eric catches sight of Ethan behind them, his face pale and tear-streaked. The faces of the guards, of his friend and head leader are dark and severe. Behind Eric, Remy whimpers._

" _Hey, what_ _'_ _s going-_ _"_

" _Eric Coulter, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Fox Coulter._ _"_ _Max_ _'_ _s voice is tight with rage._

" _What?!_ _"_

 _Max and Zeke step aside, the guards rush him and Eric sees red. He wakes up later, here in this fucking cell, beaten and bloody. Max waits outside the cell, seated with his arms crossed, expressionless. Eric stumbles to his feet, clutching his cracked ribs, wiping the blood from his chin and staggers to the bars._

" _Max? What the fuck happened? Fox? You think I tried to murder her?!_ _"_

" _You almost got away with it._ _"_ _Max_ _'_ _s answer is flat and Eric loses his fragile composure._

" _IS SHE OKAY? WHAT HAPPENED?!_ _"_ _He roared, wincing at the sharp pain in his chest._

 _Max_ _'_ _s eyes narrow, there is no sympathy for Eric in them._ _"_ _You held her down in her bathtub and slashed her wrist, trying to make it look like a suicide. Luckily, or unlucky for you, Ethan came home in time to find her before she bled out._ _"_

" _WHAT? I CUT HER WRIST?!_ _"_ _BULLSHIT! BULL-FUCKING SHIT!_

" _The doctor questioned some bruising on her arms, so we reviewed the security cameras. And who comes running out of the apartment just before Ethan gets home? You. Who_ _'_ _s DNA was under Fox_ _'_ _s fingernails? Yours._ _"_

 _Eric shakes his head, hardly able to follow this._ _"_ _I would NEVER hurt Fox! We were together, we have been for-_ _"_

" _So that_ _'_ _s the motive then? She wanted to break it off and you didn_ _'_ _t? You got mad? Tried to hide what you_ _'_ _d done?_ _"_

 _This is so fucking surreal Eric is hit with the sudden urge to laugh._ _"_ _Ethan must have done it! I would never-_ _"_

" _Really? You expect me to believe that? Ethan? There has never been a complaint filed against him! On the other hand, every other week someone is filing an_ _'_ _extreme force_ _'_ _or_ _'_ _unnecessary violence_ _'_ _report about you! Tell me more lies, Coulter. Or better yet, save your bullshit for the trial. Your famous temper has finally done you in. You better pray she pulls through, it would be a fucking shame for her to die at the hands of someone like you._ _"_

 _Max_ _'_ _s bitterness and rage staggers Eric, temporarily strikes him speechless. This is it, his worst nightmare. No one has ever believed Eric about Ethan_ _'_ _s secret monstrous side, but the stakes have never been this high. Looking at Max, Eric sees that anything else he says will just bury him deeper. His guilt has already been decided, no doubt Ethan has framed him, with an airtight case. They will execute him, whether Fox lives or not, this type of unprovoked attack is never tolerated. Staggered by the seriousness of his situation, Eric stumbles back, drops painfully into a crouch to avoid falling, and when he looks up, Max is gone._

That was yesterday, and Eric had been frantic ever since. No one would listen, no one would take him seriously. The guards stared at him with hatred and loathing, spat in his food then dropped the tray through the bars so he had to pick up the scraps off the floor. Max came by one more time yesterday, to stonily inform Eric that Fox was still alive, still clinging to life, but she was in a coma and the doctor was worried about brain damage.

" _What about Remy?_ _"_ _Eric had asked as Max turned away. The leader whirled, face contorted with rage and slammed his fist against the bar._

" _You don_ _'_ _t have the right to ask that! That child is none of your concern anymore! He is safe with his father!_ _"_

 _Eric couldn_ _'_ _t take it any longer, Remy was with Ethan? His heart squeezed in fear._ _"_ _NO! Keep him away from Ethan, he is NOT safe with him! I told you! Ethan did this! Ethan framed me!_ _"_ _He launched himself at the bars, rattled them as he screamed._ _"_ _LET ME OUT! FOX IS IN DANGER! IT_ _'_ _S ETHAN! HE_ _'_ _LL KILL HER!_ _"_

 _Max shook his head, spat in Eric_ _'_ _s face._ _"_ _You piece of shit. You_ _'_ _ve always been jealous of your brother. Stop with the lies, take your punishment like a man._ _"_ _With one last death glare, Max had turned and stormed away. He hadn_ _'_ _t been back since._

 _Anxiety and terror spurred Eric on, kept him going. He paced back and forth for hours until he collapsed, unconscious._

Zeke appeared at the bars and Eric scrambled towards him. Zeke is one of the closest people he has to a friend, surely he'll listen.

"Zeke! Zeke please! I need you to listen to me! Fox is in danger!" Eric grabbed at him, but Zeke took a step back.

"You're locked up, she's safe now."

"Goddammit Zeke! I would never hurt Fox!" This is too much, Eric is horrified to feel tears forming.

Zeke shifted his feet, exhaled roughly. "Eric, look man... everything points to you."

"Yes! Ethan framed me!"

Zeke sighed in exasperation and turned to leave, but Eric reached desperately through the bars at him and snagged his jacket. "Zeke please!"

Zeke paused, his back to Eric, head lowered. After a moment he sighed, raised his head to glare at the ceiling then turned back to face Eric, shrugging off his grasping hand.

"Fox is my friend, Eric. She is a good person, she's a mother for fuck's sake! Why did you do it?"

"I didn't! Zeke, please, just sit down and listen to me for a minute... please. If you still think I'm guilty after... then fine, but give me the chance to explain."

Zeke glared hard into Eric's eyes and Eric held his gaze steadily. After a long, tense moment Zeke reached for a chair and pulled it towards him, sitting down heavily with a sigh. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

Eric paused, trying to collect his thoughts. _Where do I start?_ "We don't have time to get into it right now, but Ethan is not the man everyone thinks he is. He's capable of and has done some pretty heinous shit."

Zeke bit back a scoff of disbelief; he wanted to leave but he had agreed to hear Eric out.

"I've never had friends because Ethan always scared them away, after awhile I started keeping everyone away myself; but fuck man... when I saw Fox? I couldn't. I loved her right from the start, but she was like everyone else, fell for Ethan's game-"

"His game?"

"Yes, his fucking game! Ethan is always pretending to be this upstanding guy, but he's not!"

"And you are?" Zeke's voice was dry.

Eric paused before answering. "I'm not the asshole Ethan's made me out to be, I'm just not smart enough to beat him at his game."

Zeke raised an eyebrow doubtfully, but gestured for Eric to continue.

"I was so used to losing that when Ethan started dating Fox I gave up trying for her, I mean, I loved her but I knew from experience that Ethan was going to be the winner, he always is... no one believes what a monster he can be."

"What type of monster, Eric?"

The memory brought fresh tears to his eyes. " Fox and I have been lovers since Remy was born, we're everything to each other... A week ago Ethan told Fox he suspected she was cheating on him and he threatened to kill Remy if it was true."

Surprise flitted over Zeke's features before a hard angry mask fell again. "Cut the shit Eric, if you're threatening Remy now too-"

"Fuck! Zeke, no! Remember that bandage on Fox's neck?"

Hesitantly, Zeke nodded.

"It happened that same night, after he threatened to kill Remy he held a knife to Fox's throat and raped her, told her that she was his and he could take her whenever he wanted... he cut her when he-" Sudden emotion welled in Eric and he couldn't finish. His legs gave out and he sank to the floor, his back against the bars.

Zeke leaned forward. "You expect me to believe this-"

Eric shook his head, tears flowing unheeded down his cheeks. He turned his head and Zeke was staggered by the raw emotion in Eric's eyes. The thing was, Eric didn't _do_ emotion. He was a cold bastard, always had been. Nothing got through to him, no one mattered to him.

"Trust me, Zeke. I love her." Eric's voice was threadbare, broken.

Zeke's thoughts whirled, more than once in the last few years he'd thought he'd seen _something_ pass between Eric and Fox; a quick but tender glance, a soft brush against the other's hand as they passed in the corridors, one time Zeke was even sure he'd seen them holding hands under the table in the mess hall. And there was the time he'd walked into the tattoo shop last year, wanting to get his leadership bars touched up and Eric was there; Fox was tattooing something on his chest, and he was laying on the table, his head near her lap, and the look on his face had taken Zeke's breath away, it was the way you looked at your lover, your _soulmate_. They hadn't noticed Zeke standing there and he'd watched Fox reach down and tenderly stroke Eric's cheek, whisper quietly to him, saw him leaning his head into her hand and chuckling softly. It had been so alien to Zeke that he'd turned away, left the shop and put it completely out of his mind, until now. And then there was the fact that Eric all but lived at Fox and Ethan's apartment when Ethan was gone, the story had always been that it was to make it easier to help take care of Remy, but... was there more? Was Eric capable of emotions?

Had Zeke, and the entire faction for that matter, made a gross error in judgement? Gotten caught in this _game_ of Ethan's, always seen, always believed the lies Ethan had told? Was Ethan the monster instead of Eric? It was too ridiculous, there was no way -

Zeke looked back up at Eric's face and froze. The way Eric was staring at Zeke told him the truth, told him all he needed to know. The tears Zeke was so shocked to see Eric cry; the tears he never thought he would ever see glistening on the young leader's cheeks, shining in his stormy grey eyes didn't lie, _couldn_ _'_ _t lie_. Eric was not a cold monster, he was not the forbidding beast everyone believed, he was not the unemotional brute Ethan made him out to be. A heart beat inside his broad chest, and it beat for Fox.

"I would never... ever hurt Fox... She is my life Zeke, her and Remy. I would die for them."

Zeke couldn't speak, his mind was racing. He'd come here to demand answers, to demand that Eric explain why he'd done what he'd done, why he'd tried to kill Fox, and not only that, but why make it look like a suicide, why slash her wrist? But he was leaving with a whole new set of questions, a whole tangle of loose ends.

Eric sighed heavily and looked forwards again, _Zeke didn_ _'_ _t believe him, what else was new?_ Defeated, he dropped his head into his hands.

Still too stunned to speak, overwhelmed by Eric's story and what it meant if it were true, Zeke wordlessly got to his feet and left.

* * *

Awareness returned to Fox slowly, then blackness again; a never-ending cycle. She felt like she was caught in a dark ocean, floating helplessly on the waves. Bits and pieces, snatches of reality hit her; a quick, blurry glance around a sterile room, a brief glimpse of someone sitting beside her, never was Fox conscious long enough to see who it was, where she was. Nightmares tormented her, visions of pain and terror. Ethan's cold, emotionless face. Gradually, a memory began to coalesce and Fox was helpless to resist reliving it.

" _Hi honey._ _"_ _Ethan calls from the bedroom. Fox has just stepped from the shower, is towelling herself dry._

 _Fox swallows hard._ _"_ _Hey, Ethan. Sorry, supper is going to be late, I -_ _"_

" _It_ _'_ _s okay._ _"_ _Ethan_ _'_ _s voice is smooth as he appears silently in the bathroom doorway and Fox suppresses the urge to jump in surprise._

" _Uh, Eric is picking up Remy for me, I slept in and -_ _"_

 _Ethan favours her with an indulgent smile, one that instantly rose the hair on Fox_ _'_ _s neck. It was the smile of a hard-bitten father, who_ _'_ _s ready to punish his child for_ _'_ _it_ _'_ _s own good_ _'_ _._

 _Before Fox can react, can reach for the knife she has hidden, Ethan throws his hand in front of her face. A blast of chemical-scented air hits her in the face and her disorientation is instant, the world is spinning. Everything greys out._

 _The shock of water snaps Fox out of her disorientation, and although she can think again, her limbs won_ _'_ _t respond. Ethan is leaning over the edge of the tub, that eerie, indulgent smile still on his face. If Fox could move, she_ _'_ _d rip it right off. She_ _'_ _s in the bath, water lapping at her collarbones, what the fuck?_

 _He reaches out to stroke her cheek and Fox can_ _'_ _t pull away, she can_ _'_ _t move at all, what the hell did Ethan hit her with? Her question shows in her eyes and Ethan smiles again._

" _Like it? Little invention of mine. A synthetic, modified halothane-derived spray that causes instant disorientation, and lasts just long enough for the paralytic agent to kick in. Best part? It completely exits the system within 15 minutes, leaving no trace._ _"_

 _Fear tingled along Fox_ _'_ _s spine, paralytic agent? A flash caught her attention, and if she_ _'_ _d been able to, Fox would have screamed._

 _Ethan holds up a straight razor, twirls it gently, gazing at it like a lover. He reaches down and lifts Fox_ _'_ _s left hand from the water, turns his attention back to her._

" _Such a shame,_ _"_ _he muses._ _"_ _I came home from work to find my beloved wife has taken her life, sliced her wrist in the tub... leaving our young son motherless._ _"_

 _Fox_ _'_ _s blood runs cold, but Ethan_ _'_ _s next words freeze her colder still._ _"_ _And when they investigate further they_ _'_ _ll find bruises on your arms, evidence of foul play, that someone has tried to cover up their actions by faking your suicide... I_ _'_ _m sure he was here today, fucking you like the whore you are, so all signs will point to my brother. Eric Coulter, first the degenerate sibling, then the murderer._ _"_

 _Fox can_ _'_ _t move, can_ _'_ _t scream as Ethan presses the razor to her left forearm and slices violently, deeply towards her wrist._


	5. Chapter 5

Fox jolted painfully conscious, heart racing in her chest. She felt weak, her breaths rasping in her chest. Her left forearm throbbed in time with her heartbeat. Someone was sitting beside her and she fought to focus on them. Her pulse reached panic levels when she realized it was Ethan seated beside her, watching her with a small smile.

"E-Eth-" Fox croaked, her throat was raw and her limbs were felt like they were filled with jelly. If the head of the bed wasn't raised almost vertical, so she was practically sitting up, she'd be completely helpless. Fox glanced around, she was in a hospital room, the only other occupant a heavily bandaged and unconscious man in the next bed, his heart monitor occasionally given a sullen, monotone _bing._

Fox was effectively alone, unable to move, unable to call for help, trapped with the man who had tried to murder her. His last words to her screamed through her head, Eric would be blamed, Eric would be executed for her death. _NO, NO!_

Rage helped Fox focus and her fists managed to clench, albeit weakly. Ethan saw and gave her one of those indulgent smiles, _fuck, if could move asshole, I_ _'_ _d tear your fucking lips off._

"Oh sweeting, don't be like that." He was enjoying this, a cat with a mouse. Suddenly he leaned forward, pressed his clammy lips to hers, his hand curling against the back of her head, trapping her against him and kissed her, a repulsive invasion of her mouth that raised bile in Fox's throat. Fox managed to snap her head back, away from his disgusting face, but it caused a wave of dizziness to flood her and she swayed, her vision greying before clearing again. With mock concern, he pressed her gently back against the pillow, his hand trailing down to cup and squeeze her breast through her gown, his touch was lecherous, slimy; _how had his hands ever brought her bliss? How had she been so fucking deluded?_

"Mmmm," Ethan mused, gazing down at her heaving chest and licking his lips. "I will miss those, although I bet Eric's been having his share of fun with them too." He leaned forwards to murmur in her ear. "Tell me, does he make you scream like I do?"

"More." Fox tried to spit angrily, her voice still laughably weak, "I don't have to fake it with him." It wasn't entirely true, at one point, Fox's body had responded to Ethan, there had truly been love, at least on Fox's part, between them; but Ethan was an egotistical bastard, and Fox had few other weapons at her disposal right now.

Rage darkened his face and his hand arced away, ready to swing back and strike her across the face. Fox refused to flinch and his hand stayed. Fox couldn't be sporting strange new bruises and marks, not now. He growled low in his chest and Fox felt a fleeting moment of triumph.

"Why?" Fox wheezed, her body was slowing returning to her, she needed this arrogant prick to start talking, stay bragging about his brains and the way he'd screwed everyone over long enough for her to recover some motion, recover her voice to scream, _something._

"Why?" Ethan's eyebrows raised and he cupped his chin, pretended to give it some thought before smiling again. "Why not?"

Fresh, cold panic trickled down Fox's spine. _'_ _Why not?_ _'_ Seriously?

Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back, resting his feet on her bed. "It's always scarier when there is no reason, isn't it?"

"What... but-"

"I don't need a motive, I don't need a reason. You're less than me; weaker, dim-witted, my brother too, all muscle, no mind... it's been fun playing you two like a Stradivarius. Why does the cat toy with the mouse? Why does the boy pull the wings from the fly? _Because they can._ I've been pulling Eric's wings since he was a child, manipulating everyone around him, making him the delinquent, the miscreant counterpoint to my dutiful, obedient self. _It_ _'_ _s been fun._ _"_

Fox was struck dumb, all of this... _ALL OF THIS_ because he could? Because he was smarter? "How long have you known about Eric and I?"

"From the start."

"The start?"

Ethan threw his head back then and laughed. "Ah, my dear wife... don't you think I saw how Eric looked at you the first day you arrived in Dauntless? That puppy-love crush he had? Don't you think I knew exactly what I was doing when I romanced you into my bed, put a ring on your finger? Made you pregnant?

Fox thought she couldn't be anymore taken aback, any more shocked by the evils that lay within this man, but... _fuck._

"Why do you think I asked him to 'watch over you' while I was working? Why do you think I was away so much? I knew you two would start something behind my back, that you'd spread your fucking thighs for him; I knew you wouldn't be able to resist that walking cock. I even had a camera hidden in the bedroom, linked to my phone, masturbated to the footage; I got off easier watching you take it from him than having to give it to you myself. Though I must admit, as much as it pains me, he does have me beaten in the Fucking department; Christ, _the stamina!..._ Anyway, I _planned_ it all, sweetheart! You did exactly what I wanted. I'm just surprised he never knocked you up, you two fucked enough that he should have; weren't you trying hard enough? You'd think with those moves he'd have sired a few bastards on you by now."

Fox could only blink at him. He had _planned_ that too? He had purposely pushed her and Eric together, made it so they would become lovers, watched and plotted and laughed at them for the last two and half years? Had every move Fox had made since she'd transferred to Dauntless been the futile struggles of a worm on a hook?

"You fucking -"

"Oh sweeting, don't say it. Don't be upset, _you get the out._ I'm here to finish you. You didn't fucking die in the tub like you were supposed to, so now a 'blood clot' is going to take your life, just when it looked like you were starting to rally, starting to recover. It's a shame really, Remy losing his mother, his uncle charged with murder and executed, I'll push for a slow and torturous death by the way, just look at what he did to you darling... but don't worry, Remy and I'll get real close with you out of the picture, I'll teach our boy how to play too." He pulled something from his pocket, uncapped a small syringe. He held it out with a leering smile. "Modified phytonadione, simple Vitamin K. Beautiful really, quick but definitely not pain-free."

Fox's heart began to pound with dread and fear; she still couldn't move, still couldn't speak above a hoarse whisper. _Fuck, NO! I will not die like this!_ Rage swelled in her chest, flowed like quicksilver into her limbs, her lips curled into a hellacious snarl-

"Freeze! Don't fucking move, Coulter!"

 _Everything slowed to a crawl._

The bandaged man on the bed leapt to his feet, a pistol appearing in his dressing-wrapped hand.

A horde of Dauntless black filled the room, weapons drawn. Ethan spared them barely a glance, his focus laser-sharp on his prey; he launched himself at her, syringe raised to strike. The bandaged man fired and Ethan yelped in rage and pain. Fox convulsed sharply, trying to dodge Ethan while still having little control over her body, and cried out in surprise and despair when she felt the prick of the needle in her neck. _NO! The fucker can_ _'_ _t win!_

The Dauntless guards tackled Ethan, crushing him down onto Fox and she squirmed desperately beneath him; _Fuck me, the irony! To be saved by her faction, Ethan finally outed as the psycho he was, and it was still too late!_

Then, Fox felt the needle pull free, felt Ethan's suffocating, cursing weight yanked from on top of her, heard the whole thrashing mob crash to the floor in a howling, writhing mass of limbs. Pained yells, dull thuds and furious cursing filled the air, then two guards stood, holding a wounded Ethan between them. He was far from finished, however, and struggled against the guard's grip, whining like an animal in a trap, his shoulder bloodied. Another guard gained his feet, eyed Ethan for a moment, then back-handed him viciously.

"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled, glaring savagely at Ethan's now limp form, held upright by the two scowling guards. The guard whirled back to face Fox and she realized with relief and surprise that it was Zeke. The bandaged man pulled the linen from his face, and Fox was further stunned to see Hudson, one of Zeke's top guys and another Dauntless you could consider Eric's friend.

"Fox? Honey, are you okay? Did he get you?!" Zeke's hands floated over Fox, scanning frantically for wounds or blood.

Fox panted, heart racing. Zeke's hands were gentle, grounding her and Fox was able to answer, her voice stronger than she currently felt. "I don't think so... my neck..." Hudson hovered nearby, his brow knit in concern.

Zeke carefully cupped her jaw, scanned her throat and his forehead furrowed. "He stuck you with that fucking thing, but I don't think he managed to inject it." His radio beeped and Zeke let sat on the side of Fox's bed, pulled it out.

"Zeke here."

"Report." Fox recognized Max's voice. _What the hell?_

"He did it Max, confessed to a whole shitload of fucked up stuff."

"In custody?"

"Affirmative."

"Damaged?"

"Only a little."

"Fox?"

"Safe."

"Understood. Bring Coulter directly to me."

"Yes, sir." Zeke nodded to Hudson, who turned and gestured to the guards holding Ethan, they'd secured his wrists and ankles in heavy chains, and the guards not holding him upright had their weapons pointed at him, looking like they were dying for an excuse to pull the trigger. The guards exited the room, Hudson following.

Zeke moved to stand and Fox grabbed weakly at his arm.

"Wait... what about Eric?"

Zeke nodded, thumbed his radio again. "Max, come back?"

"Max here."

"Fox is asking for Eric, request to release him."

"Release him?"

"I heard Ethan myself Max, Eric has done nothing wrong. You'll hear for yourself when we get you the recording, I recommend you release him, sir."

There was a long pause then, "alright, I've sent Uriah and a contingent of men down to the detention wing to let him out, they'll bring him over in a personnel truck, I doubt he's willing to stay in the compound right now."

"Understood sir. Thank you." Zeke turned back to Fox with a reassuring smile. He reached out and took her hand.

"Are you feeling okay, do you need me to get the doctor?"

"Just a little dizzy... Zeke, what... what happened, you were listening to us? Hudson was pretending to be a half-dead patient?"

Zeke nodded, his eyes going far away for a moment before focussing back on Fox. "If I hadn't heard it myself... me, Max, the entire faction, _everyone_ owes Eric an apology. All this time... Ethan's been playing us... " He trailed off, shaking his head. After another pause he cleared his throat. "I went to see Eric earlier today, to demand why the fuck he would try to kill you. I was so goddamn mad at him... and then, he started crying and it shocked me, I mean... Eric doesn't cry, he doesn't _have_ any emotions, right? Except anger and cruelty... but he was bawling, an absolute fucking wreck and I wondered, you know... how could he hurt you when it's so obvious that he loves you? He said he'd die for you, for Christ's sake... I decided to check into it, but I knew if Ethan was as smart as Eric said, I'd have to be tricky about it too. So I had Tatum dress up as a nurse and install a bug," Zeke gestured to the bedside table, "and we dressed Hudson up like some kind of burn victim. He had a little call button hidden in his hand, was going to hit it and call us in when the time was right, and we were listening with the bug too, just down the hall. But shit... I didn't expect Ethan had done all of that... was even capable of that shit... fuck... he fooled us all."

Fox shook her head, tears beginning to streak down her cheeks. The adrenaline was wearing off and she was starting to tremble. "I didn't either. I mean, he's been toying with me from the start."

"He's been toying with Eric his whole life... fuck, poor guy." Zeke squeezed Fox's hand. "I'm going to grab your doctor, you're getting really pale." He stood quickly and left the room.

Fox relaxed back into the bed, managed with jerky, uncoordinated movements to pull her blanket higher. She gazed at her left arm. A thick white bandage covered it from elbow to wrist and Fox started to get queasy just thinking about what it looked like underneath.

Zeke returned with the doctor and a nurse; they'd been waiting for the all-clear anyway to check on her and Fox answered his questions as best she could. _Yes,_ she remembered her name, _yes,_ she knew that man's name, _yes,_ she remembered what happened and _no,_ she'd rather not talk about it right now. Zeke smirked from the bedside, still holding Fox's hand.

The doctor seemed satisfied, informed Fox that they were going to run some tests to make sure nothing from Ethan's syringe made it into her system, and more than likely she would be released to the Dauntless infirmary either tomorrow or the next day, then left.

Zeke opened his mouth to speak when they were interrupted by a loud commotion down the hallway. A rough male voice reached their ears and Fox's heart began to race again.

"Where the fuck is she?! Let go of me!" Eric's deep voice roared.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry this last chapter took so long, please enjoy and leave me feedback :)**

"Where the fuck is she?! Let go of me!" Eric's deep voice roared.

Zeke quickly stood, threw Fox an amused glance. "And that's my cue, we'll talk later Fox, okay?"

"Yeah, and Zeke?"

Zeke raised his eyebrow and Fox motioned him to come closer. He leaned down and Fox pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you, Zeke. You saved our lives."

Zeke blushed and pulled away, "you're gonna get me in trouble, kissing me like that." He turned to leave and grinned over his shoulder at her, "you're welcome Fox."

Zeke ducked out of the room just as Eric ploughed in. He spared Zeke barely a glance as he shut the door, all his attention focussed on Fox. The look of desperate relief on his face squeezed Fox's heart; they hadn't seen each other since parting in Fox's apartment, right before Ethan had attacked her. Fox scooted to the side, knowing that Eric wouldn't be satisfied with anything but full body contact. He reached the bed in two large strides and curled beside her, wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to his chest. Fox clung just as frantically back, burying her face into his shoulder, inhaling his familiar scent deep into her lungs. Eric trembled against her, breathing hard into her neck and Fox felt wetness on her skin.

"I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered hoarsely, his lips brushing her throat.

"Me too," Fox breathed, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks.

Eric pulled away and cupped her face, tenderly brushing away her tears with this thumbs. Fox reached up to do the same and Eric turned his face quickly, pressing kisses to her palms, then leaning his head into her hand, his eyes closing. Inhaling sharply, Eric pressed the bed controls, lowering the head so they were almost laying horizontal then gently tugged Fox against his chest again, relaxing into the bed with a heavy sigh.

After a long, pregnant pause Eric whispered, "are you okay?"

Fox sniffed, rubbed her face against Eric's shoulder before answering. "I had no idea he was so... evil."

Eric sighed and rolled slightly to face Fox, their foreheads touching. His hand idly stroked her cheek, his fingertips unbelievably gentle. Their legs tangled together, bodies pressed against one another and Fox felt the tension in Eric's body start to dissipate. He always had searched her out when he was stressed, would never settle fully until she was secure in his arms, pressed to his body, able to bury his head in her hair, rest his cheek to hers.

Anxiety prickled through Fox's body, Ethan's words echoing in her head; and Eric felt her unease.

"What did he say baby?" He murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead, lingering there, his breath warm.

Fox exhaled softly, her hand curling into the front of his shirt, felt his muscled chest hard beneath.

"He knew... about us. From the start, he set us up for his... fucking games. He said he asked you to watch over me on purpose, worked away on purpose, so that we would-," Fox broke off, tears starting anew. It took her a minute to continue and Eric waited patiently, gently stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. "He had a camera, he watched us together..."

"Watched us in bed together, making love?" Eric pulled his head back enough to look into her eyes as he gently gripped her chin, rubbed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.

Fox nodded miserably, fear trickling into her eyes, surely Eric would be turned off by this, his attraction to her soured by his brother's interference.

"What else? Get it out baby."

Miserably, Fox continued. "He only came onto me and married me to keep me away from you... then he manipulated us together and _spied_ on us. He was jealous of your _stamina_ for Christ's sake... wondering why you hadn't 'sired any bastards on me yet' for all the 'fucking' we did."

Eric's lips curled into a sardonic half-smile. "And you think that my feelings for you are going to change because he interfered with us?"

"Well... yeah. I mean, he played us, he toyed with us... it hurts."

"Yeah, _goddamn_ right it does... but it doesn't change anything, not for me." He tilted her chin higher, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I love you, that will _never_ change. I've loved you from the start. I wish I _had_ 'sired some bastards on you', I want to be with you, I want to have babies with you, what that piece of shit's done has _nothing_ to do with how I feel about you. Don't _ever_ doubt my feelings for you Fox." Eric tenderly pressed his lips to hers, then to the tip of her nose and finally to her forehead again. He lowered his head to meet Fox's eyes and offered her a gentle smile.

"How can you be so calm about this? He...he _played_ with us-"

"I am. Furious... I am so fucking mad right now..." Eric exhaled hard and looked away, concentrating on a point just past Fox's shoulder. "I can't... _I won't_ take it out on you, you've been hurt by him too. I will _never_ hurt you Fox _ever,_ in any way. I'm going to stay here with you until you go to sleep, and then I'm going to find something to tear apart." He sighed roughly and pulled Fox closer still. "I want to stay with you, I want to lay here beside you and hold you, believe me... but I ... can't, I can't let you be near that." Breathing deeply he burrowed his head into Fox's hair, exhaling shakily. "Please don't leave me over this." His last words were a bare whisper.

"What?" Fox pulled her head back sharply, her fingers clasping Eric's chin. Her eyes searched his with dawning horror and her hand moved to cup his face. "Never... Eric, I love you. We were pawns in a fucked up game, but that doesn't change what _we_ had... what we still have." Her forehead furrowed and she bit her lip, waited until Eric met her eyes again before pulling him close. She put everything she couldn't say into her kiss, the barest desperate tremble in her lips as she silently begged Eric to kiss her back, to stop this doubt, to realize that what they shared was real, and the diabolical machinations of his twisted brother did not in any way invalidate or cheapen their feelings, their bond. Eric was hers and she was Eric's.

Eric tensed for the briefest moment then groaned against Fox's mouth, melting against her, his muscles relaxing and moulding to Fox's. His lips held their own tiny tremble and he curled his hand against Fox's cheek, pulling her even closer. Breathing hard he pulled away, rested his forehead to Fox's.

"I love you, and I always will." He whispered fiercely.

"I love you too." Fox whispered back, holding Eric's intense gaze. For a long moment they just stared into each other's eyes before Eric inhaled raggedly and pulled away, sorrow bleeding into his gaze as it searched out her bandaged forearm. His fingers trembled as he reached towards it, then clenched into a fist. He looked away for a long while, obviously fighting with himself, torn between lying with Fox and tracking down his evil brother for retribution.

"I was so scared," Fox could barely hear him. "When they told me... I lost it... I knew he'd try again, but no one believed me, no one would listen... I paced and screamed. I was... if you'd died... if Remy was left with that monster..." He couldn't finish, only pulled Fox tighter and nuzzled into her hair, exhaling roughly.

"I'm still here," Fox whispered.

Eric was so still Fox would have sworn that he had fallen asleep beside her if his fingers didn't continue to stroke slow circles against her collarbone, if his exhalations weren't still tremulous, the faintest shudder still perceptible in his massive body; she lay still in his arms, relaxing into his warmth and strength, giving him her own until finally, they both drifted into sleep.

The alarm blared suddenly, startling Fox out of a dream. Eric grumbled beside her, burrowing his face farther into his pillow. Fox hit the alarm then rolled back over, snuggling back against Eric who pulled her close, nuzzling her tight to his side even in sleep, murmuring her name as his lips brushed her cheek.

Fox wanted to rejoin Eric but, now that she was awake, she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep; Ethan's hearing was today. His guilt was unmistakable, there'd been no doubt of it, not even the psychopath himself could talk his way out of it. It had caused shock, a ripple of devastation in the faction, in truth, throughout the entire city. Today was only about deciding Ethan's sentence. Although she couldn't fall back to sleep, Fox still had a few minutes to spare, and she found her thoughts drifting.

Fox and Eric had returned to Dauntless quietly and begun the process of settling down, returning to some semblance of normal as a new family. They moved in together, forming a real home for Remy, who didn't even seem to remember Ethan and was excited every night when it was Eric that walked through the door. Fox's divorce from Ethan would become official after his sentencing, but Eric had already asked her to marry him, they weren't willing to waste any more time. Also, Ethan's custody of Remy would be permanently revoked after his sentencing as well, as per Dauntless law, and Eric had already filed paperwork to officially adopt the boy, who was already his son in every way except the most literal sense.

It had been a month since Ethan's attempt on Fox's life. The delay in Ethan's hearings had been mostly due to Erudite as they tried to wrap their heads around the magnitude of Ethan Coulter's treachery. He'd been pulling strings and playing with people for years, and although Dauntless had first dibbs on his punishment, Erudite was taking time sorting out some of their unsolved discrepancies and problems from the past that they now suspected Ethan of being responsible for. The day had come however, and Dauntless was pushing ahead with sentencing. Yesterday, Max had called Fox into his office.

 _Fox knocked and stepped inside at Max's command. Eric was already seated, his eyes following Fox as she moved to sit beside him. Fox sat quietly, reaching her hand out to Eric, who took it, squeezing it gently. The silvery scar on her left forearm caught the light, reminding Fox of why they were here; as if she'd ever been able to forget. She'd spent that night heavily sedated, loaded up on serum; the slash on her forearm, down to the bone in places, the worst the doctor claimed he'd ever seen someone survive, growing back together, healing into this faint but still visible testament to the madness of Ethan Coulter, her soon-to-be ex-husband._

 _Eric had held Fox tightly that entire night, drowsing, murmuring to her as he stroked her hair, disregarding his own vow to leave and tear something apart; his desire to comfort and hold Fox winning out over his rage. He'd not left until the morning, returning hours later, his knuckles bruised and bloodied. Fox had not asked where he'd gone, had neither wanted nor needed to know. He'd been somewhat settled, somewhat calmer, but the scars and wounds of what Ethan had done to him were far from mended, would most likely never fully leave him._

 _Max cleared his throat, his gaze passing between the couple. He didn't need to ask how they were doing, it was obvious in the way they'd held each other's eyes when Fox had entered, in the way their hands had twined together. Max, like most of the faction, had been forced to come to terms with the reality that Eric was not the man he'd been forced to present to the world, the image Ethan had manipulated them all to see. Max's guilt over believing Eric capable of hurting Fox, of being so quick to condemn him had taken a long time to dissipate, and only a heartfelt confession to Eric one night where Max had asked for his forgiveness had finally cleared his conscience. He had watched the lovers ever since, wondered how in the hell he had ever missed their obvious attraction, how they'd managed to hide it, when their love for each other was a palpable sensation around them. It was devastatingly clear that Eric lived and died for Fox, and for Remy, that their happiness and wellbeing were the only things that truly mattered to him. What hideous web had Ethan wove? How blind had Max allowed himself to be?_

" _Okay," Max began, "As per Faction Law, as the injured party; the person Ethan has confessed to the attempted murder of, you Fox, are allowed input into his sentence. Off the record I am also asking you, Eric. Ethan's mistreatment of you isn't part of Ethan's charges, but I want you to have a say as well."_

 _Surprised, Eric glanced at Fox, they'd both expected Fox to be asked, but not Eric. He squeezed her hand reassuringly._

 _Fox cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Max._

"Baby."

Fox glanced down, Eric was now awake and gazing at her softly. He smiled when their eyes met and he reached up, began gently stroking Fox's cheek. His hand tightened on her jaw, pulled her down to meet his lips. Their kiss was soft for a few moments, then Eric exhaled harshly, his lips growing more demanding. He pulled Fox closer, deepening the kiss, his touch becoming more insistent. Rolling, he pulled Fox beneath him and pulled back, his gaze heated; his nose nudged hers, tipping her head up and he captured her lips again, devouring her mouth in a claiming kiss, a brand of possession. Fox felt him rapidly hardening against her thigh. Curling against her one hand stayed cupped at her jaw while the other trailed down her body, curling between her legs and drawing a moan from Fox's lips. He nudged Fox's thighs apart and pushed inside her, shuddering into the crook of her neck as she stretched around him, the feel of Fox sheathing his cock nearly enough to undo him already.

Before Ethan's treachery had been revealed, before the depths of his depravity and manipulation had been brought to light, Eric and Fox had been forced to find pleasure when they could; when Ethan was gone, at work, at another faction. Weeks would pass before they'd be able to meet again for any decent length of time, and the occasional desperate quickie in an empty corridor or Eric's office were never sufficient to meet their needs. Now, they were free to be the lovers they'd always wanted to be, free to reach for the other and pull them into their embrace, free to roll over in their shared bed and caress the other's face, draw the other to them, make love when the need hit them.

Fox moaned as Eric started to thrust, his movements languid but powerful. A tremor ran through his muscles and Eric started to pant against Fox's skin, his breath warm; groaning helplessly in overwhelming need. He would never get enough, he'd come so close to losing Fox forever, more than once and Eric was never going to waste time with her again. Fox would know every single day Eric's depth of love for her, she would never feel like she wasn't cherished, wasn't his treasured Queen.

Fox wrapped her legs around Eric's hips and he shuddered in ecstasy, nearly drowning in sensations. The feel of Fox beneath him, around him, the soft breathy sighs, the way she whispered his name as she cradled his head to her breast all combined to drive Eric deliciously mad with lust and desire. His spine arched sharply, driving deeper, brushing sweet places inside Fox that made her shiver and writhe beneath him, cry out his name as she arced against him. Eric poured his heart, his soul, everything he couldn't say or find enough words for into his motions, into making love to Fox right now; whatever happened at the sentencing, whatever madness or horror they might be forced to relive today, would be cancelled out by the love and tenderness passing between them right now.

Fox bucked beneath Eric, climaxing around him, keening his name as her walls pulsed around his cock and Eric gave in, surrendered to the soul-binding passion ripping through both of them and roared in shuddering release. His hips slammed one last time against Fox as his cock throbbed, spilling his seed warm inside her, filling her and trickling back out onto the sheets.

Panting, Eric tried to flop to the side but Fox pulled him down onto her, purring underneath him in residual bliss, keeping him secure between her legs, relishing the closeness of their bodies, the scent of them in the air, the heavenly little shivers passing through both of them as their bodies wound back down. Her breath was warm against his shoulder and Eric nuzzled against Fox's throat, a contented rumble deep in his chest. Fuck, he could lay here with Fox until either starvation or a zombie apocalypse forced them out, but it didn't work that way.

Remy's morning babble sounded over the monitor and Eric smirked into Fox's hair. Fox giggled against his skin, making goosebumps rise.

"His timing's spooky," Eric grinned.

"Think he heard us?" Fox teased.

"Nah, the walls are too thick, and he sleeps like you, like a damn log."

Fox kissed Eric's collarbone and gave his shoulders a gentle push. "Let me up, you big gorilla."

"I'll go," Eric replied, pushing up and off of Fox. He pulled on last night's boxers and leaned down to give Fox a quick kiss. "Go shower baby."

Fox caught the back of his head, held him close as she murmured, eyes locked with his, "I love you."

Eric kissed her again, heart hammering in his chest, he would never tire of hearing those words from her. "I love you too."

The atmosphere was quiet but expectant. Although the hearing itself was limited viewing, the rest of the building and grounds were not, and people crowded around each other, eager to see what would happen. Dauntless guards had been pulled for patrol as a precaution and kept a keen eye on the masses.

The only judges in the city belonged to Candor, and so the hearing was being held in their justice building; but since both Ethan and Fox were Dauntless, and the crime had been committed on Dauntless soil, the hearing and punishment were both to be handled and decided in the Dauntless way. While murder was an automatic execution, attempted murder was more subjective, with punishment ranging from banishment, to life imprisonment, or, if the attempt was vicious enough, execution. As per Dauntless law, the accused, once convicted, lost all rights to property and was automatically divorced if married and stripped of parental rights if a parent.

Eric squeezed Fox's hand as they sat in the hearing room, waiting for Ethan to be brought in. Eric had walked directly past the crowds, shielding Fox with his bodyand Fox had seen more than one surprised and appraising look. It would take people a long time to reconcile their previous opinion of the formidable Dauntless leader with the reality of him, the reality that he was in truth, not the man Ethan had manipulated all to see, that although he did not bare the same visible scars as Fox, his wounds from Ethan were no less grievous. Eric had been forced to be hard and cold for so long that he would probably never grow into the man he would have been without Ethan's torments, but that was okay too, there was a core of strength and resistance in him that dwarfed all others, and together he and Fox were unstoppable.

The sentencing was called to order and Ethan was brought in. He walked tall and proud, a smug superiority on his handsome face. If he feared his sentence or feared for his life he didn't show it, and, Fox realized, it probably hadn't even occurred to him, he was so used to being arrogant and untouchable that he was still floating in his bubble of lies. The guards secured him to his chair in front of the small crowd of officials and spectators and he sat straight but relaxed, eyes scanning the room with a mix of interest and disdain. He quickly disguised his flash of anger with a arrogant wink when his gaze finally landed on Eric and Fox, on the way Eric held Fox's hand, his touch possessive and protective.

The judge read quickly through the charges then turned his attention to Fox.

"As per Dauntless law, the wronged has say in the punishment meted out. Ms Coulter, you may rise and address the hearing as to your preference."

Fox took a deep breath and stood. Eric was forced to let go of her hand and instead dropped his fingers to her leg, touching the back of her thigh with his fingertips, just a small touch to remind and reassure Fox that he was still here with her.

Fox turned her eyes to Ethan, who met her gaze squarely back. A faint shiver passed through Fox but otherwise she remained calm.

"Ethan Coulter... you tried to kill me, you slashed my arm to the bone and framed your _own_ brother for it. In so doing you would have left my son without his mother, without the man he considers his father, and in the care of a psychopathic madman where he would have suffered untold horrors while you continued to fool and delude the factions into believing you were a decent human being. Before the war people believed that evildoers went to a place called Hell, where their souls would burn in torment for eternity, as punishment for their wickedness in life. Now, we know better. While there is no Hell to send you, the punishment must still fit the crime. What you did to me, what you've done to Eric deserves death." Fox paused now, glanced down at Eric for support. "And so I choose life... Life imprisonment, in some dark hole somewhere, where you will be alone and can think endlessly, until insanity steals your mind, about how, despite your 'genius', you were _outsmarted_ , you were _beaten..._ you _LOST_. I will never think of you again after this day, but I know you will think of me forever."

The crowd held it collective breath, staring wide-eyed. The judge paused, surprised. The smug mask on Ethan's face began to slip, sweat beginning to bead on his brow. All attention turned to the judge. Fox's wish would be considered, but the judge had ultimate say.

The judge looked over at Ethan and saw that the accused, rather than fearing death, feared _life,_ feared being left alone with his mind, his thoughts and maybe, eventually, his guilt. Ethan had come to this hearing expecting an execution order, expecting to go out with some degree of style, manipulating the masses right to the end and Fox's suggestion terrified him.

The judge's thoughts turned to his cousin, a man named Derrick Adams, a fellow Candor who'd had a daughter named Amber. A daughter that had been friends with the Coulter boys and had taken her own life in an eerily similar way to Fox eight years previous. Although he couldn't prove it, and would probably never learn the absolute truth unless Ethan himself confessed, the judge knew in his heart that his cousin's daughter had been murdered by the smug monster in front of him, and, even if Erudite officials, who would continue to comb through records looking for connections to Ethan never filed charges of murder, the judge could pass his punishment now. And he liked the way Fox was thinking.

"Ethan Coulter, you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment. You will be transferred to the maximum security wing of the Erudite Detention Centre where you will live out the rest of your days in the fashion Ms Coulter laid out. If you had a soul, I would pity what lays ahead for it."

The mask of Ethan Coulter, the arrogant, smug expression that graced his handsome, cold features, the mask that Fox assumed he would always wear finally fell, revealing the monster beneath. His eyes bugged and sweat shone on his forehead, his teeth bared.

"No. No!" He growled, beginning to struggle as the guards lifted him from the chair. He tried to thrash, throw his body out of the guard's grip but it was futile. As they dragged him away Ethan finally began to break, and Fox and Eric, and yes, even the judge, had the satisfaction of hearing the dawning panic and terror in Ethan's voice as he yelled, began to scream in earnest, in horror of the price he was about to pay. The creature beneath the mask was a twisted, sickening sight, soulless and self-seeking, eyes bugging with fear, wet lips trembling with dread. Ethan knew his monstrous brain needed constant bloodshed and pain to be satisfied, and without anyone else to hurt, it would turn on him and consume his mind, pick it's teeth with the remnants of his sanity. A small part of him admired Fox, if he had been only a spectator to this, he would have approved of the perfect retribution she'd laid out today.

Ethan's voice broke as he was dragged through the doorway, as he continued to scream. "NO! NO! KILL ME!" His wild eyes found Fox's once more, flicked between hers and the steel-grey glare of his brother beside her and he saw nothing but satisfaction, nothing but relief, nothing but his doom.

The door slammed behind his struggling form, cutting off his last hellish shriek.

 _Three Years Later_

"Mam."

"No, it's Mom." Remy replied patiently, seated cross-legged on the floor.

"Mam," the toddler across from him was insistent, chubby cheeks beginning to flush. His little hands gripping the ball he and Remy had been tossing back and forth tightly to his chest.

"Mom!" Remy called, "Alex isn't listening to me!"

Fox appeared from the bedroom, a laundry basket balanced on her hip. Her little shadow, Remy's younger and Alex's older sister, Gemma, followed along behind, holding one of Daddy's dirty shirts and trying to keep her patrol helmet from tipping forward into her eyes. Her plastic sword bounced off the doorframe and bumped against the pink tutu she insisted on wearing to complete the ensemble.

"Remy, it's okay if Alex calls me Mam, you called me Moo at his age."

"I did?" Remy asked, grinning widely at the thought. Alex belly laughed and threw the ball clumsily at his older brother.

"Bae!" Alex announced triumphantly, pointing at Fox's belly, gently rounded with her and Eric's third child, now six months along.

"Yes, little man," Fox agreed, setting the basket down and sitting on the edge of the couch. "Baby."

Alex, fourteen months old and already showing Dauntless attitude bee-lined to Fox and pressed his hand to her belly with a delighted shriek. Gemma, just over a year older than him, joined Alex and giggled as the baby kicked under their touch.

After Ethan had been sentenced, Eric and Fox had wasted no time, standing in Max's office for their wedding ceremony less than a week later. Fox had fallen pregnant right away; Eric drawing her to him with tears in his eyes when she'd told him, pulling her down onto his lap as he'd staggered to the couch, wrapping his arms around her and burying his head in her hair with a shudder and a gasp, his shoulders starting to shake as he'd cried.

Their daughter Gemma had made her grand entrance eight months later, was placed in her amazed father's arms still squalling and brand new, had fallen silent as he'd spoken to her in his low deep voice, gifting her with her name and welcoming her to the world, staring up at him like he was a god. Her hero worship of her daddy had only grown since then, as had Eric's fierce love for his little princess.

Alexander had been a surprise, coming so soon after Gemma, but was no less welcome. If anyone was a miniature Eric it was him, a tiny Dauntless soldier with attitude to spare. Only his flaming red hair kept him from being an exact duplicate of his father.

The keypad beeped at the front door and the three children squealed in unison, scrambling towards the entrance in a tangle of limbs, shouting happily as the door swung open and Eric walked inside. Shutting the door behind him he instantly dropped into a crouch, gathering his excited children into his massive arms and holding them close, favouring each one with a kiss on the forehead and a few special moments of his attention before he gently shooed them away with promises of playing with them later and stood again, sauntering towards Fox with a grin and dropping to his knees in front of her. He pressed a gentle kiss to her swelling belly before cupping her cheek with one large hand and capturing her lips with his, deepening it as a rumble of desire sounded in his chest. Pulling away he exhaled and rested his forehead to hers.

"Hello wife," he murmured, his voice husky. His hand rested gently on her abdomen and he smiled. "How's our little one today?"

"Rocking and rolling like always, he's going to be the rowdiest one yet."

Eric hummed a negative, trailing his fingertip gently along Fox's cheek. His thumb skimmed her bottom lip before he touched his lips to hers again. Pulling away he murmured, "no, it's a girl this time."

"You sure?" Fox grinned.

"Mmmm-hmmm," Eric rested both hands on Fox's belly, covering it completely. "A beautiful little girl, just like her mama." He was quiet for a long moment before raising his eyes to hers again and Fox bit her lip at the tears shining in them.

"I love you," Eric murmured quietly. "I always will."

Fox felt her own tears starting, Eric never missed an opportunity to tell her how much he loved her, never passed up the chance to caress her cheek, press a kiss to her lips, nuzzle against her; he'd come too close to losing her to ever take their love for granted. As Eric had vowed to himself, Fox always felt cherished, always felt like his treasured Queen.

"I love you Eric," Fox whispered back. Pulling Eric to her she curled her fingers against the back of his head, stroked the tender skin of his neck, felt the rock-hard muscles flexing beneath her touch.

Eric's phone beeped, a special tone that indicated an emergency and he pulled away with a sigh, grabbing the offending object and glancing at the screen. He did a double take then exhaled breathlessly, sagging against Fox and her heart began to hammer.

"Eric? What's wrong?" Eric lifted his head and Fox felt rising panic at the expression of his pale face, the dawning horror in his eyes. Eric was Dauntless to the core, he didn't get scared like this.

Eric's bottom lip trembled slightly as he answered, "Ethan's escaped."


End file.
